Josey: Oh, but Sean’s fair game?
There was an extra-long pause before his reply came through. I could just imagine him chuckling to himself. I loved making him laugh.
Will: He’s very pretty.
That cracked me up and I had to roll my lips between my teeth to keep from snorting.
Josey: Yes, he is. Also, totally off topic, but I have a question for you.
I bit my lip, wondering how he’d react to Annie’s suggestion. Putting it to him over text was definitely the safest option.
Will: Ask me.
* * *
Josey: Annie wants to reach out to the woman Aideen paid to lie about you. She thinks she can convince her to retract her statement, and that would help to restore your reputation, maybe convince The Dream Foundation to take you back. So, I guess my question is, do you want her to do that?
I was nervous after I hit send, wondering if maybe I should’ve waited to ask him in person. I knew he wouldn’t be too keen on the idea, but I also knew how much he missed his charity work. When he didn’t immediately respond, I sent another text.
Josey: And if they still don’t want to work with you, it’s their loss. But a retraction could help in convincing other charities to let you work for them. I know you miss helping people.
Still there was no response. I hoped he was just mulling it over and not mad at me for bringing up something he was trying to move on from. I was about to send another text when he finally replied.
Will: I haven’t wanted to go this route from the beginning, and I still don’t like it, but you’re right, I do miss the work I used to do. Tell Annie she can try.
I exhaled in relief. He was willing to try.
Josey: Okay, I’ll tell her. Have fun with the guys, but not too much fun. I’ll see you later, and maybe we’ll try out the handcuffs again
* * *
Will: I’ll hold you to that.
I slid my phone back in my bag, and gave the waiter a nod to bring over another round of drinks.
It was a month later, almost to the day, that my first semester results were in. I’d been studying so hard, pulling late nights and early mornings. I just really hoped my work paid off.
I opened my laptop with Rocky curled up beside me, and nervously logged on to the college website. Just before I navigated to the results page, I got a ping in my email, alerting me to a recent news story.
Okay, so I may have signed up for “William Moore” Google alerts. I’d told him as much and he’d shaken his head indulgently, telling me I shouldn’t care about what people were writing online. But I cared about him, and I didn’t want more false stories circulating.
I brought up the page, a knot in my belly until I read the headline: Money for lies: Woman retracts story about Ireland rugby player, William Moore
My heart leapt. I’d almost given up on Annie’s plan, having not heard from her in weeks, but she’d done it. I couldn’t believe she’d actually done it!
“Will! Will!” I shouted, leaping up and carrying the laptop into his bedroom. He lay in bed, glasses on, e-reader in front of his face.
“What is it?” he asked, pushing his glasses down his nose, all Clark Kent sexy.
“It’s Annie, she managed to get the retraction. I can’t believe it,” I exclaimed, dropping down beside him on the bed and handing him the laptop.
He pushed his glasses back into place and scanned the screen. First, he frowned, then his brows rose, then his eyes widened as he continued to read.
“Isn’t it great,” I said as he rubbed his chin.
“Annie is very talented at her job,” he said at long last. “This actually reads pretty well.”
I gaped at him. “Is that all you’re going to say? This cleans up your entire reputation. You can do your charity work again. Aren’t you happy? You should be jumping for joy.”
“That’s not exactly how it works,” Will replied. “Once something like this comes out, it stains you, no matter if there’s a retraction. The Dream Foundation aren’t likely to backtrack, but it may help with future endeavors, so for that I am thankful.”
I deflated a little. Will was right, any kind of scandal stuck, no matter if it was true or false. “Well, look on the bright side, you have all those sponsorship deals coming in thanks to your new bad boy image. Maybe you could use the money to start your own charity. Turn a negative into a positive.”
Will gave me a tender look and reached out to caress my cheek. “You always manage to see a silver lining.”
I shrugged. “I try.”
He bent close and pressed a kiss to my lips, then said, “You know, that’s not a bad idea, to start my own charity.”
“Exactly, and you could decide exactly where the money goes, make sure it’s benefitting the people who need it most.”
Will gave me another loving look, then glanced back at the laptop screen. Noticing the other tab, he asked, “What’s this?”
I pulled the laptop away from him. “Oh, it’s nothing. Just some results from college.” I hadn’t wanted to check them in front of Will in case they weren’t as good as I’d been hoping. I usually did pretty well academically, but only if I absolutely killed myself with study. And though I’d been going hard at it, I’d admittedly been distracted of late, thanks to the big sexy rugby player I was now sharing a bed with.
“They’re your test results? How did you do?” Will asked.
“I haven’t checked them yet. I got distracted by the article.”
He gave me a look. “Well, check them now.”
“I might not have done so well. I probably should’ve studied more in Australia. Plus, the whole new living arrangement kind of screwed with my usual study routine. Normally, I’d sit in the nook in my dad’s office, but there’s no nook here, and the environment you study in really does affect how you…”
I stopped speaking when Will kissed me quickly. “Check the results. If you failed anything, you can always repeat the class.”
Even the idea of repeating plunged a brick to the pit of my stomach. It was just that I’d finally found my calling. I was passionate about animals, about becoming a qualified vet. It might’ve been overly ambitious, but I wanted top marks. I wanted to do the best I possibly could. Swallowing tightly, I brought my attention to the screen and clicked on to my personal dashboard. My heart sped as I scanned the module numbers on one side and the results on the other. There were six altogether and…
And I’d aced them. I blinked to make sure I was seeing correctly. I’d gotten four As and two Bs.
“Well?” Will prompted. I turned the screen to him so he could see for himself. His smile was wide. “You did amazing. I knew you would. Congrats, sugar.”
I was still processing the fact I’d scored so highly when Will pulled me to him. He wrapped his arms around me and pressed a kiss to the curve of my neck. Involuntarily, I shivered.
“I think you deserve a reward for being such a good student,” Will murmured, his hand sliding down to cup my backside.
“Do you know what? I agree. I do deserve a reward,” I said, my chuckle transforming into a sigh when Will sucked my earlobe in his mouth, his lips curving in a sexy smile, his voice a husky caress.
“Well then, let’s see what I can do about that.”
I smiled, too. And then I reclined and allowed him to have his way with me.
Will’s reputation had been restored.
I’d gotten top scores in all my courses.
And, I was pretty sure I was on my way to a spectacular orgasm.
Once again, everything was coming up Josey.
Epilogue
WILL
I’d never been invited to a baby shower before.
In the States—at least where I was from—baby showers were a strictly female event. But as I stood along the sidelines of Ronan and Annie’s big living room, watching all my teammates and their significant others, wives, girlfriends, and partners, I decided that I’d want a baby shower like this one.
&nb
sp; First of all, Sean Cassidy was trying to suck three ounces of apple juice out of a baby bottle, and was in a dead heat with Ronan Fitzpatrick to be the first one finished. They kept glaring at each other, all the while their heads were tilted back, clutching their glass bottle, sucking and sucking and sucking through the microscopic hole at the end of a clear silicone nipple.
I’d been given a bottle with three ounces of apple juice, so had Bryan—who stood next to me—but we were too busy laughing at Sean and Ronan, as was everyone else.
“Oh my God, I hope someone is recording this.” Eilish wiped at tears of hilarity pooling in the corners of her eyes. “I will never let my cousin live this down.”
“He better win.” Josey was holding her stomach from laughing so hard. “If he wins, at least he’ll have bragging rights. No one wants to take second place at a nipple sucking contest.”
This statement had Bryan, Eilish, me, and everyone nearby launching into another fit of hysterical laughter.
Lucy—Ronan’s sister and Sean’s girlfriend—was standing behind Sean, rubbing his shoulders and whispering encouragement into the big guy’s ear. Meanwhile, Annie was sitting next to Ronan and rubbing her swollen belly as she laughed and laughed.
“Oi! Ronan. Look at Annie. All this excitement might cause her to go into labor.” Finley drew everyone’s attention to the mother-to-be.
“Ronan already knows how important it is to stimulate the nipples!” Lucy shouted back, and everyone roared with laughter.
I shook my head, looking at Josey. Her smile was beaming and her eyes were bright, but something about the way she held her stomach drew my eyes and sobered me. What would she look like, pregnant with our baby?
Prior to now, I couldn’t have imagined a scenario where I would have willingly sucked anything at all from a baby bottle, and especially not in front of a crowd.
Longing stirred within me, deep and low and secret. I swallowed the desire to speak, to ask her what she was thinking. Instead, I gave her a quick smile and returned my attention to the debacle. I was already nervous enough about my plans for Josey after the shower was over.
The last several months had been—without a doubt—the best of my life. They’d also been the most frustrating. I’d taken Bryan’s advice and I’d decided to wait. I hadn’t pushed, I hadn’t asked for assurances. I’d tried to trust.
So far so good.
So far so fucking fantastic.
But I’d been restless. I wanted . . . something more with Josey. And I needed an outlet for this energy.
So I’d bought her parents’ house, swore them to secrecy, and had been fixing it up while Josey had been busy at school and work.
I’d taken Rocky over, to run around in the backyard, while I replaced the paper-thin hardwood with brand new walnut floors throughout, painted all the rooms white in anticipation of Josey picking new colors, remodeled the kitchen, two of the bathrooms, replaced the pipes and worked with an electrician to update the wiring.
The roof was done by contractors, and I tried to leave as much of the original fixtures as possible, sanding down doors and windows to their original wood finish. I didn’t want to change the house. I wanted to give her a blank canvas that she could make her own, but also a place she could look at as a real home. One she’d hopefully want to share with me.
Working on the house had helped, and I’d enjoyed it, but I couldn’t stay silent about my wishes any longer. The time had come to act.
A sound at the center of the room drew my attention. Everyone cheered as Ronan finished first and stood in triumph, pushing fists of victory into the air.
Sean was grinning, but he dipped his chin to his chest and shook his head as though disappointed by his defeat. If I didn’t know better, I would have guessed he’d lost on purpose. He’d been way ahead until everyone dropped out but him and Ronan.
Eventually, Sean stood too and turned to Ronan. “Congratulations, Fitzpatrick.” The big blond man offered his hand in a shake, lifting a sardonic eyebrow and adding, “You suck the most.”
Everyone laughed, including Ronan. And to everyone’s surprise, he pulled Sean into a quick hug, both men smacking each other on the back once or twice before leaning away and finishing their handshake.
“All right, all right, that’s enough of this sordid affair. Cake is served, and I’ve been told by my sister that presents are next.”
I felt Josey slide her hand against mine, drawing my attention. I glanced first at our entwined hands and then at her upturned face.
“Hey, my sexy beast,” she whispered. “Don’t even think about trying to steal a bite of my cake.”
Unable to help it, a smile burst forth and I turned to her, leaning to her ear and licking her earlobe. “You know how much I love eating your cake.”
She shivered, her hand not holding mine coming to my chest and curling around my shirt. But before she could speak, I felt a hand hit my arm.
Scowling, I glanced over my shoulder, finding Ronan, Bryan, and Sean smirking at us.
Sean lifted his chin. “Hey you two dirty birds—”
“It’s lovebirds, eejit,” Ronan corrected.
“Not with these two,” Bryan mumbled, earning him a glare from me.
“Whatever, same difference.” Sean smoothed a hand down his impeccable suit, sounding bored. “We’re setting up a match, partners versus players. Are you two in?”
I gaped, unable to process the words he’d spoken. They wanted to play a match? Against our partners? Were they crazy?
What the fuck?
“You can’t be ser—”
“Hell yes!” Josey cut me off, her words loud with excitement. “Count us in. We’re totally down. Abso-fucking-lutely.”
Sean’s gaze moved down and then up Josey’s form, a grin pulling one side of his mouth upwards. “Excellent.”
I fought against a growl. But before I could protest, Josey pulled away, capturing Eilish’s hand in hers and charging off, making a beeline for Lucy.
This was unbelievable.
I brought my scowl to Sean and said through gritted teeth, “If she gets hurt, I’ll ruin your other knee.”
Ronan’s hand came down on my shoulder, drawing my attention; he looked like he was endeavoring to hold in laughter. “Lighten up, Will. It’ll be fun.”
Fun?
Were they nuts?
Ronan was right. It was fun.
It was ridiculous.
Most of my time was employed defending Josey from my teammate’s grabby tackles, which was how all of us seemed to be spending our time, keeping each other away from our women. Or, in Donovan’s case, his man.
Sean elbowed Finley in the face for putting a hand on Lucy.
Bryan knocked the legs out from under Donovan before he could reach Eilish.
Everyone wanted to ruck with their own partner, so—unsurprisingly—there were a lot of rucks.
Pretty soon, the ladies figured out that all they had to do was give Annie the ball. One look from Ronan and she was untouchable.
We were so focused on sabotaging our teammates that we were soon annihilated. But to be fair, Josey and Eilish were decent players. Josey was tough, focused, and had a good eye and aim. She stayed low and maneuvered quickly around Finley when he tried to catch her in a hold.
For the record, I would make sure he paid for that later.
When it was all over, I had the beginnings of a nasty bruise on my jaw—courtesy of Sean for when I attempted to intercept a throw from Lucy—and Ronan was limping—courtesy of Bryan for when Ronan deflected Eilish’s kick.
But, yeah. I had fun.
Josey jogged over to me, a big, cocky grin on her face. But it quickly dissolved when she spotted the swelling mark.
“Oh my gosh! Are you okay?” Gentle fingers came to my face and she brushed her lips over my jaw, her arms sliding around my waist. “Let me take care of you. I’ll get some ice.”
Josey leaned away, concern and love in her gaze, and gave me a sweet
, parting kiss before hurrying back towards the house.
I stared after her, silently thinking Ronan, Sean, and Bryan were geniuses.
Not a second later, a hand clapped over my shoulder and I turned, finding Sean giving me a little, knowing smile.
“Did you have fun?”
I nodded, dazed, my mind still on Josey.
His grin widened. “That’s good. But the best part—the real fun—is what comes next.”
I was about to question him when we were interrupted by Lucy, sliding next to Sean and cupping his jaw. “My poor handsome man. Look what they did to your eye.” She sighed sadly, her gaze on a small cut just above his eyebrow.
She pressed her body closer, giving him a fiercely affectionate kiss, and he spared me a quick glance as though to say, See what I mean?
But then his expression completely changed as he looked at Lucy. “It doesn’t hurt too badly. But maybe you could kiss it? In the bathtub tonight?”
I rolled my lips together to stop a disbelieving exhale and glanced around me. Couples everywhere were huddled together, fawning over each other, kissing and giving comfort. My eyes were opened.
What a bunch of sneaky fuckers.
Man, I was clueless sometimes.
These guys.
These guys were the real pros.
JOSEY
“When we get home, I’m running you a bath,” I whispered seductively to Will as we headed for his car. I’d had such a fun time at Annie and Ronan’s baby shower, but after that rugby game I was exhausted. I hadn’t played since I was at school, so I was definitely rusty, but I’d still enjoyed it. I especially enjoyed how Will glared daggers at any of his teammates who tried to tackle me.
Will opened my door for me, then walked around to the driver’s side. “I actually have somewhere I’d like to take you first.”